Mexican Hot Chocolate

This recipe is for lovers of chocolate. A little bit goes a long way. It is becoming a winter holiday tradition in our house. This can be made Mexican style or not. I will admit that I have made it American style because I did not have any cinnamon sticks.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk

1 cup heavy whip cream (or half and half if you want)

4 oz semisweet chocolate chopped (I use chocolate chips makes for less work)

1/8 of a vanilla bean (shop around Albertson's wanted $10 a bean but I found them for $3 elsewhere)

2/3 cinnamon stick

1/3 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Combine milk, cream, cinnamon sticks and vanilla in a 1 quart stainless steel pot and bring mixture to a boil. Have prepared chocolate in a mixing bowl. Allow the heated liquid to steep (rest off the heat) for 5 minutes, take out the vanilla bean, then pour over the top of the chopped chocolate. Stir the chocolate mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Pour the warm mixture through a strainer and it is ready to serve. Serve immediately or refrigerate. To reheat, place chocolate mixture in a 2 quart stainless steel pot on low heat -- do not let sit, or it will burn. Stir mixture until warm. Immediately serve and place in 4 oz. portions with a dollop of slightly sweetened, softly whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.
Serves four.

This is the site the recipe was stolen from. You can listen to the story if you like.

P.S. If you have the idea that you want to make this for a large group and if you decide to keep it warm in say a crock pot for hours at a time be warned that as the milk steams off the hot chocolate turns from thick hot chocolate to ganache to pudding. It is still good but not quite the same.

Russian Tea Cakes

By request... My grandma's Russian Tea Cakes/Snowballs/Mexican Wedding Cakes

Mix thoroughly:
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, and obviously don't sift the nuts!)

Chill dough. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown. Roll in powdered sugar.
400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

In memory of Margaret Faulkner (my grandma).
Credit to allrecipes.com for the picture.